Funny looking stretches in the middle of the gym

Tied in to the practice of mediation is an enhanced ability to concentrate, also known as one-wontedness? I prefer to call it "being of one mind" because so often we feel as if we have many minds in our head arguing and postulating away beyond our control. However, as is found in physical exercise, discipline and patience can lead us to greater ability in remaining of one mind. This is an ability which will create a multitude of practical benefits in regards to physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
In the physical field it allows us to stay focused on our movements without being distracted by the half-naked woman or the guy doing some funny looking stretches in the middle of the gym. Not only does this lead to a better workout with better results every time, but it also combats against injury as we are less likely to make mistakes if we are conscious in the moment of what we are doing.
In the mental aspect concentration helps defeat the aforementioned sensation of having wild thoughts constantly bombard us which can often bring about confusion. It is well known that confusion leads to fear and fear to anger, thus bringing us to the emotional aspect of concentration training.
With a confused mind and fearful heart, physical exercise and eating well become unappealing and much more difficult to maintain. However, just as all these facets can work together to undermine us, if we practice concentration through meditation with diligence we can turn this wheel the other way and see the physical, mental and emotional boons accelerate each other! Linked with this is enhanced tolerance to pain or discomfort.
The common "solution" to pain is trying to block it out or go away from it, but with practice and discipline it is discovered that the best relief for pain is often concentration on the point of discomfort and telling it to relax and be calm. If there is a raging tiger in your home would it be best to ignore it and float away mentally or to be aware of it and actively work to resolve the situation?
Coexisting with these other attributes of meditation is a greater sense of body and postural awareness. Sitting or lying down with eyes closed and external obstructions minimized our mind has more room to focus on where our body is and what it is doing. Typically in day to day life we are so overwhelmed with stimuli that we can have awkward posture imbalances, which are a primary cause of injury, of which we are completely unaware.